The 3 tennis legends want to eliminate the Let rule in tennis

One of the oldest and most inherent rules in tennis throughout its history is under scrutiny. Three tennis legends have already expressed their desire to eliminate the Let, the rule that states if a serve hits the net and lands in the opponent's court, the first serve is repeated. Andy Murray is the latest to join a movement that has long included John McEnroe and Martina Navratilova.

"I would probably eliminate the let on serves. Same in tennis, I don't like it," said Murray, who considers the rule unnecessary that forces a player to repeat the serve when the ball hits the tape and lands in the correct box.

Why do they want to eliminate the let?

The proposal is very simple: if the serve hits the tape and goes in, the point continues, just like any other ball would during a rally. Currently, when a let occurs, the serve is nullified and the player must repeat it.

Navratilova defended this idea during Wimbledon, calling the rule "useless". "Let that let from the tape disappear. No one is progressing with this; let's eliminate it!" the American demanded on the BBC.

Her argument is that most of these contacts are slight brushes with the tape and hardly affect the development of the point. "Play the let, play the ball, it's a live ball," she explained. In her opinion, the instances where a serve that would have been an ace ends up becoming a complicated ball are too infrequent to justify the repetition.

John McEnroe also showed support for the modification. "I would play the lets. I think it's more exciting," he stated in 2025. The American, however, acknowledged why he believes the proposal faces challenges: top players likely wouldn’t want to add that element of uncertainty.

The agreement between Murray, Navratilova, and McEnroe once again brings to the table a modification that, for now, seems far from becoming a reality. But more and more prominent voices in tennis believe that the let could disappear without harming the spectacle and possibly making matches a bit more dynamic.

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Las 3 leyendas del tenis que quieren eliminar la regla del Let en el tenis